NiSource urges customers to use paperless billing
SPRINGFIELD – NiSource, the parent company of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, and The Nature Conservancy encouraged Columbia Gas residential and commercial customers to sign up for free paperless billing.

During the three-month campaign, each customer who signed up triggered a donation to support local freshwater conservation projects in their state. In total, 18,883 customers across five states signed up during the campaign.

Last month, Sheila Doiron, Director of Communications for Columbia Gas presented Alison Bowden, Massachusetts Freshwater Program Director for The Conservancy, a check for $18,530. The ceremony was held at The Conservancy’s Boston office. The funds will help The Conservancy with two important freshwater conservation projects in western and southeastern Massachusetts.

Balancing human needs with nature on the Connecticut River, The Conservancy is working with dam owners and state and federal agencies to restore more natural flows along the river. The Connecticut River is one of the most heavily dammed waterways in the nation. NiSource funds will help The Conservancy change the operation of dams in an effort to increase flow to benefit fish and mussel populations while also maintaining healthy water supplies to cities and towns along the way. 

View full sizeStaff photo by Michael S. GordonChef Eduardo A. Moreno removes a pizza from the oven at La Cucina Express Tuesday on their first day of business at the Williams Place Mall in the center of Longmeadow.

UMass ‘World Class’ ad wins Best CommercialAMHERST – The University of Massachusetts’s most recent television advertisement, “Truly World Class,” was the winner in the Best Commercial category in the Boston/New England Emmy competition.

The 30-second television ad was directed by Paul Canney, was written by Robert P. Connolly, vice president for communications of the University of Massachusetts, and was 

produced by Eran Lobel, owner of Element Productions of Allston and a graduate of UMass Amherst.
This is the second Boston/New England Emmy for this team, which won in 2006 for the UMass ad “Something to be Proud Of.”

UMass President Jack M. Wilson said the latest Emmy award was reflective of the University’s commitment to quality.

The Emmy was presented Saturday night as the Boston/New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences held its 34th awards ceremony. Also part of the Emmy-winning team are UMass Amherst graduate Chris Santo, who edited the spot, and Kristen Kearns, who was the head of production and post-production.

Poll shows state residents suport alternative energyBOSTON – Massachusetts residents strongly believe that the state should rely more heavily on a mix of wind, solar, and natural gas for our future energy needs and a majority think we should lessen our reliance on nuclear power, according to a new poll by The MassINC Polling Group.

The survey also showed that public safety and concern about reliance on foreign sources of oil topped the list of factors driving support for public policy in this area. The renewable energy poll numbers were collected as a part of MPG’s MassPulse Quarterly Omnibus Poll.

When asked about future energy needs, large majorities said they would like to see more reliance on solar power (87 percent ), wind power (86 percent), and natural gas (64 percent) far higher than levels who want to see more coal (21 percent), oil (14 percent) or nuclear power (31 percent).

Residents cited safety considerations near power plants (83 percent), reducing dependence on foreign oil (82 percent), and pollution concerns (76 percent) as “very important” considerations when choosing energy sources for electricity. Residents are less concerned over whether their energy is produced here in Massachusetts, with just 44 percent calling this issue “very important”.

Notably, while the desire for renewable energy spans the ideological spectrum, the motivations are different. Republicans, for example, placed reducing reliance of foreign sources of oil at the top of their priority list (87 percent very important). Among Democrats, several issues grouped together at the top including reducing pollution (89 percent very important), reducing dependence on foreign sources of oil (85 percent ), and safety at power plants (83 percent ). For unenrolled residents, plant safety (84 percent ) and foreign oil (82 percent) were most important. 

IRS urges taxpayers to check withholdingsBOSTON – The Internal Revenue Service encourages taxpayers to take a few minutes to check their withholding to make sure what is being taken out of their paychecks matches their projected taxes.

If not enough is withheld; individuals will owe tax at the end of the year and may, in some cases, have to pay a penalty. If too much tax is withheld, they will lose the use of this money until they get their refund.

Taxpayers should pay particular attention to their withholding if they received a big refund check this year or if they had to make a tax payment that was more than they could comfortably pay.

Some say they use the extra withholding as a “forced savings” method. But Uncle Sam doesn’t pay interest on refunds, so putting the money in any type of savings account or paying down debts might be a better option.

Those looking for assistance in figuring out whether they are withholding enough can get help from IRS Pub. 919, “How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding?” A set of worksheets in this publication assists taxpayers in adjusting for such items as multiple incomes, expected capital gains income and self-employment tax. Pub. 919 and Form W-4 are available at http://www.irs.gov or by calling (800) TAX-FORM (800-829-3676). 

Dunkin’ franchisees fined for child labor violations
A pair of Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owners have been cited and fined for violating state child labor laws at stores in four Massachusetts towns, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office.

The two Dunkin’ franchisees are James Carafotes, 54, of Sutton, and his business partner Dinart Serpa, 52, of Beverly. The two business partners own five franchise locations in Fiskdale, Oxford, Sturbridge and Southbridge, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Carafotes, Serpa and their five franchise locations have been fined a total of $7,700 for multiple violations of the state’s child labor laws, according to Coakley’s office.

During an investigation of the frachises in question, investigators discovered that they employed minors before the earliest permissible hour and after the latest permissible hour, according to Coakley’s office. The owners were also cited for employing minors without the required work permits and for failing to post all minors’ work schedules in the workplaces. 